Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I, Queen of England from 1558 to 1603, is famous for
the glamour of her court, the success of her policies, and her long-preserved virginity.
She was born on 7th September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne
Boleyn. Henry, who had just had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled and married
Anne in the hope of begetting a male heir, was initially disappointed at Elizabeth's
birth. He soon convinced himself, however, that Anne would eventually produce a son. When
she failed to do so and when suspicion of infidelity was cast upon her, she was executed
in 1536. Elizabeth thus grew up without a mother's care, although Henrys last wife,
Catherine Parr, was for a time an affectionate stepmother.

Her reign began on 17th November 1558 when Mary died. Elizabeth
immediately named Sir William Cecil (later Lord Burghley) her chief minister, and with his
help she concluded the famous Elizabethan Settlement for the Church of England. Religion
in England had been unsettled since Henry VIII's break with the pope in 1533. Moderate
Protestantism had been practised under Henry, and more radical Protestant programs were
implemented under Edward VI; but Mary had restored the Roman Catholic faith and papal
jurisdiction to England. Elizabeth herself was a moderate Protestant. Foreign affairs,
always linked with religion, presented an ongoing threat to Elizabeth's security. The
great fear was that an alliance of Catholic powers might force her from the throne and
reintroduce a Catholic monarch. In the end no such Catholic league was formed, but
Elizabeth did send English forces to fight on the Protestant side in two European
conflicts, the Wars of Religion in France and the revolt of the Dutch against Spanish
rule.

The position of Mary, Queen of Scots threatened Elizabeth's safety
as well. Mary was the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor by King James IV
of Scotland. After the death of her first husband, Francis II of France, Mary returned to
Scotland, but her subjects rebelled against her, and in 1568 she fled to England. Since
she was a Roman Catholic she immediately became the focus for a number of Catholic
conspiracies; these included the Northern Rebellion (1569),the Ridolfi Plot (1571), the
Throckmorton Plot (1583), and the Babington Conspiracy (1586). For many years, Elizabeth
worried by the idea of creating a precedent if she ordered the execution of another
monarch and how this would reflect on her, resisted demands that Mary be condemned to
death. She eventually signed her death warrant in 1587.

Although Elizabeth never married, she had many suitors. She was
greatly attracted to Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, and might have wed him had he not
been suspected (probably incorrectly) of murdering his wife, Amy Robsart. Elizabeth
rejected an offer of marriage from the Spanish king, Philip II, but she did allow lengthy
courtships by two members of the French royal family--the duc d'Anjou, who became King
Henry III, and his brother Francois, duc d'Alencon. Since Elizabeth had no children
and there were no other descendants of Henry VIII, the Tudor line was extinguished upon
her death. Throughout her reign Elizabeth refused to designate a successor, but it is
clear that she expected King James VI of Scotland to follow her. When Elizabeth died on
24th March 1603, James, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, but a Protestant, succeeded
without incident as James I of England.